What Age Difference?
by Queenola-Witty
Summary: She thought he was cute, young, inexperienced! Just you wait, he was going to charm her socks off! He was going to make her his. Challenge accepted! It's a Marco and Anne(female Ace) fanfic. One Piece AU..
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic. I'm usually the reading and reviewing type but I had this idea and I decided to put it down as a story. It might seem strange at first but bear with me, it gets fun.

Okay, so what we have here is a Marco and Anne (female Ace) fanfic. Anne is a 20 year old second year college student and Marco is a sophomore in high school. There's an obvious age difference, hence the title. It's going to be in this format for the first three chapters but after that it's the normal storytelling mode. I hope you have fun reading it as much as I did writing it.

Disclaimer: All rules apply.( As in I don't own One Piece, but wouldn't it be cool if I did?)

You're annoyed. You've had a pretty bad day, and for good reasons too. You were late to class this morning, really late, which wasn't your fault. You tried to explain to the teacher why. That your really sweet, really old neighbor just couldn't drive by herself to the store in the next town, you barely stopped her before she took off from her driveway. That she wasn't allowed to drive, doctor's orders. Her eyesight isn't what it used to be. You reminded her, like you always do when you see her attempt to sneak-drive off in her Mini Cooper. But she is a stubborn old goat. Wouldn't settle for the local store, said the next town's produce was better, fresher. She wouldn't settle for taking a bus either, afraid she might get lost. You tried to reason with her. Told her you would drive her personally to the store the next two towns if she wanted if she would only wait 'till you got back from school. But noooo, that would certainly not do.

"My grandson's finally visiting me, tonight!", she had told you with all the excitement she could muster, without giving herself a heart attack. "For the first time since he got his big job in the city. And I'm going to make him his favorite meal. But I gotta go to the store first. And I'm going, even if I have to run you over Marco"

She wasn't serious, you think. But you wouldn't take any chances with her on the road. So you did what any good neighbor would do, and drove her there yourself.

You keep telling yourself that if you had known about the ridiculously long traffic, the ridiculously long distance to the store and the ridiculously long time it took for old ladies to decide whether zucchini or cucumbers was the better choice (but then deciding to get both anyway), maybe you would've thought twice before offering your services. But you highly doubt it. You've known her since you were about two, consider her kind of your own grandmother. She's a pretty cool lady and you wouldn't want anything to happen to her, and so you become a good Samaritan, kind of.

You try to get your teacher to understand all this. Try to get him to see reason. But all it does is get you a stern, "Marco! Like I said before, this isn't a do-whatever-you-want school. This is a school for future leaders and entrepreneurs," he says coolly, then raises his hand up in a claw. You roll your eyes. He can be so dramatic.

"People who want do something in the future, be someone in the future. People who other people want as their role models. Now, tell me, if I let you go take your seat right now, do not give you your proper punishment and forget this whole incident happened, how are you to learn your lesson and be a positive role model to the young'uns behind you, hm?" You don't give him an answer or try to explain yourself further. He doesn't expect either. It's made obvious by the way he dismissively turns back to the whiteboard.

At that moment you decide you've never disliked Mihawk-sensei more. You slouch to your seat among your classmates' snickering, which is silenced by a sharp 'whap!' by a ruler against the teacher's table in front. A stern looks shuts everyone up before it is directed back to the whiteboard.

As you sit down at your usual spot at the back of the class, your classmate and best friend Thatch, who sits on the desk to your left thumps you on the back and gives you pitying look. You look away with a frustrated 'humph' and mutter, "This is stupid yoi"

"I know", he agrees, "and also, who the heck says "young'uns"?"

Your punishment had been to wipe every whiteboard in the whole building pristine clean. This wasn't so bad, you thought, when you finished the first board. But then you realize there are 16 classrooms, four on every floor...and no stairs. And all you want at that moment is for the day to be over.

You're on your last but one board when you see a figure peek through the widows on your right from the corner of your eye. You ignore it, but then said figure moves to the door and tentatively eases it open and pokes the top half of it's body through. Your actions freeze and with your hand on the cleaner on the board you turn to look at your visitor.

It's a student, probably a freshman you realize as you turn to him. He's a scrawny kid, with curious obsidian eyes and a mop of dark straight hair that looks like it's suffered one too many head-scratches.

He studies you for a while before he asks, hopefully, "Are you Marco?" When you nod he gives a sigh of relief and enters the classroom fully. He's carrying a big box. And you stare at him with interest as he drops the box onto the nearest desk and says, "Thank goodness. I've looked everywhere for you. Mihawk sent me. He said you are to help me with my project". Your face takes on a frown. You weren't informed of this! Your hand clenches the cleaner tighter.

"He said to tell you that it was time to fulfill your role model duties..?" You sputter incoherently. "And something about me being enough punishment, whatever that means".You don't say anything. You can't. Taken your silence as consent he starts looking around the classroom, already looking bored and starts talking about how delicate this project is and that you'd have to come over his house. But that all soon turns into background noise as you fume and silently thump your head against the whiteboard.

You really hate that teacher!

There are quieter chatterboxes than Luffy, you conclude. His constant chatter is like the endless meaningless blabber of a gibbon or perhaps gibbons you correct yourself when he starts a monologue about meat and how great it is. You're on your way to his home, on foot, and with his constant chatter, you feel like you can't get there fast enough.

"This is me", he states when when both of you reach a quant little two-storey house in a nice enough neighborhood. With a neatly trimmed lawn and pretty flowers planted all around the house towards the back, you think it's a very nice house. You find yourself staring at a flagpole positioned at the corner of the lawn with a flag attached to the very top flapping proudly in the wind. You've seen it somewhere before...just can't remember where...

"Marco!", Luffy calls from the doorstep. When did he get there? "You coming?" He looks at you expectantly before he opens the door and let's himself in. Let's just this over with, you think and follow him in...

A/N: What do you think? Please lemme know. See that little button down there?...Go on...press it...*breathes deeply in your ear*


	2. Chapter 2 - She meets him

I was so happy that people actually liked my story and was able to review. When I saw them, I actually squeaked for joy (along with my sisters) and started to draft the other chapters. They are gonna come, the chapters, and hopefully you'll like them and review :). I'm gonna shut up now, or I might actually write a letter.

Disclaimer: Same as before.

Chapter 2- She meets him.

You first see him when your little brother brings him over one afternoon after school. The door closes as you land on the last step on the stairs. You think it's no big deal cause your little brother does it a lot, brings friends over, that is. How couldn't he, you think, when he's like a radiant super-charged ball? Always drawing people near him...plus he's adorable to boot. You smile at him.

"A school project," he says and shrugs when you ask him what that big box in his arms is for. You offer to help but he replies with a sure, "Thanks, Nee-chan, but Marco already offered. Well, actually, he was assigned. Oh, right, Marco, this is Anne, she's my older sister"

That's when you tilt your head to actually look at 'Marco', standing to the right of Luffy. You fold your arms and contemplate him. He's tall, you think, a lot taller than your brother, so in turn, taller than you. His age, 16, 17? You're not sure. With blond curtained hair and a good physique, you decide he's quite a looker. You study him closely, and after a while you realize he's been staring. At you. Actually, you ponder, hasn't stopped staring at you since he came in through your front door. You're allowed to stare, but he's not. You're about to say so but then stop. Something's off.

Guys stare at you. You're used to it. You workout so you're toned. Ebony dark tresses that fall past your shoulders that compliment your pretty gray eyes. All the right junk in all the right places, you know. Some of the braver guys tell you so,when in the throngs of stupidity and peer influence and they like to 'joke around'.(Of course, they promptly stop after a few broken noses are left in your wake, especially when the wolf whistles begin). They all take a look at you and they think and wish the same thing.

But this guy's stare is different. He doesn't stare with hidden desires and worldly thoughts. Doesn't stare like all he wants to do is take of all clothes on your body and do whatever he wants. It's unusual. And you're a little miffed. You're not used to it. So you just stare back.

Then he extends an arm, intending on a handshake. You stare at it briefly, lost in your own world, before grasping it and giving a good shake (maybe you put a little too much power into it to intimidate him a little), but all he does is smile back. Doesn't even flinch. You let go and resume staring. Is your hand tingling?

Your brother seems to detect early signs of awkwardness and nudges his left arm.

"Sempai, we should go to my room,"

"Sure", he replies. And spares Luffy a glance, so do you. But then your eyes dart back to each others again. And you hear him suck in the tiniest of breaths before saying respectfully, "Nice to meet you, Anne-san".

All you can do as Luffy starts to herd him away is to nod back, somewhat dumbfoundedly.

After a while you shake yourself out of your reverie and your stomach's growl reminds you why you came downstairs in the first place.

You proceed to the kitchen to make a sandwich.

Or maybe three.

A/N: Thanks for reading! :)...What do you think?


	3. Chapter 3 - He sees her

Boom! A double update. Were you surprised? I hope you so...that's kinda what I was aiming for. If not, well then I hope you at least have fun reading.

Chapter 3- He sees her

You enter Luffy's home and the first thing you do is to deftly look around the inside of the house. Something that's routine when you enter a new home. But then your eyes land on the figure at bottom of the stairs across you that leads to the top floor and they widen in surprise...and awe.

It's a pretty girl. A very pretty girl. Your brain files through all the female faces in your head, the ones you've seen on television and you do in real life, and it reaches a conclusion you totally support. She IS the prettiest girl you've ever seen.

Then she smiles and you have to remind yourself to breathe. Did she just get prettier, in the blink of an eye? You register at the back of your mind that she and Luffy have started a conversation about school and, a big box? You don't know. What your brain's top priority is, currently, is figuring out if those dark tresses are really as soft as they appear to be. If her tanned olive skin is as smooth as it looked, and the possibility of those astonishing eyes with their own unique shade of grey just being some kind of special color contact lenses.

But then Luffy's making introductions and you immediately decide 'Anne' is your new favorite name. And seriously? They're siblings? You start to look for any similarities between them but suddenly, you find yourself under intense scrutiny by a pair of 'colony green' grey eyes. At least it looks like it's colony green. She looks likes she's about to say something but then stops and returns your stare full force with the tiniest a bit of surprise. After a while, you chastice yourself, 'don't be a creep Marco. Quit staring and say something!'

You maintain your cool as you reach out your hand for a handshake. Grateful she hasn't banished ALL thoughts from your mind, especially your manners. She stares at your hand like it's a foreign object and then takes a hold of it and 'ohmygod, her palm is so soft'. She gives it an impressive shake and while on the inside you ask yourself 'how could a girl be that strong and did she just try to intimidate me?', externally you only show the cool facade you're trying so hard to hold on to. You're surprised you've lasted this long.

You smile to be polite and there's a tap on your arm before Luffy suggests for you both to go to his room. You turn to him to answer in the affirmative before you quickly look back at Anne. She meets your gaze and wow, those eyes. You don't think you could ever get sick of them looking.

By now, you think she might as well actually think you a creep with how long you've staring at her. You try to be respectful as you tell her how nice it is to meet her and before you can say anymore or be further enthralled, you're being nudged towards the stairs and then you begin to climb up.

Maybe you're being dramatic, or maybe you got bitten by a bug on your way here and its messing with your perception of things, but you think you just had a life changing experience. If you were to have a girlfriend, you'd be pretty happy if she could be anything like Anne. All of a sudden you literally come to a halt as you have a mini-epiphany. No, that's not right. It's not that if you were to have a girlfriend you'd like her to be like Anne.

If you had a girlfriend...you'd be over the moon if she WERE Anne. Anne. Gorgeous Anne, Luffy's older sister Anne, Anne who looks like she could bite your head off if you were to ever step her wrong Anne. Could you even dream of something so impossible? So surreal? So utterly inexecutable? She seems like such a challenge.

You allow yourself yourself to smirk as you answer your own questions. You always loved a challenge.

A/N: My sisters say I kinda made Marco a little creepy, but I think not... I wanted them to have a memorable first meeting. I hope that went across...Remember to review and share your thoughts...

Date written: 31st March.


	4. Chapter 4

Before we begin I'd like to say a very big thank you to all my reviewers and followers and...favoriters? I saw them and I immediately wanted to start writing more chapters. And since you guys were kind enough to listen to me and gimme some reviews, I'm gonna be a good girl and update more chapters, more often. :)

The cover picture of this fanfic was made by the really talented emixo0...I should have probably said so in the first chapter...*chuckles self-consciously whiles rubbing head*

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: One piece enye me dea! (That's "One Piece is not mine" in my local dialect)

Chapter 4- He thinks..

Anne is lounging comfortably in the comfy three seater couch in the darkened living room, something she usually did when Luffy wasn't around to keep her company, with her legs tucked underneath her enjoying one of her most favorite shows- '_Fire-Acers_!'- when she feels the right side of the couch dip in. Someone has just joined her, and she didn't even realize it. She can't say she's surprised, she friggin' loves this show and tends to solely, and unashamedly so, focus on it whenever it's being aired. It features the most awesome job in the world afterall-firefighting.

Anne knows it's not Luffy, her poor brother couldn't be stealthy to save his life and she knows this because everytime he decides to join her on the couch, instead of settling his butt down calmly in his seat like a normal person so they could for once both have some relaxation time infront of the tele, he prefers to pounce on her just so he can start a wrestling match for the remote. She always won though, but that didn't stop him. And she finally figured, quite amusingly, one day that he didn't really want the remote, he just wanted to wrestle. The fact that after every single one their impromptu matches, the remote would always lie somewhere forgotten, was evidence .

So no, it wasn't Luffy. There was only one other person in the house though and if her calculations were correct... She turned her head to spare a look at who just sat by her and sure enough, there he was. The kid Luffy brought over. What was his name...it had sounded like the name of a game she and Luffy had loved to play as kids. Marco Polo...that was it!

Marco.

Weird name. Although, it did seem to fit him. He certainly looked like a Marco...Still, it was a pretty silly name. She turned back to the TV, chuckling to herself at his name as she resumed watching her show and started to wonder where Luffy was.

Marco had been heading downstairs to get a glass of water after the tedious study session he'd had with Luffy. Damn it, but teaching Luffy was hard. All he'd been doing for the past three hours was talking and explaining-at least trying to- and the knucklehead still didnt get it. It didnt help that Luffy's attention span was like that of a goldfish either, asking ridiculous question after question on every equally ridiculous topic he could think of every chance he got instead of focusing on his own assignment. Marco had ignored him the first few times thinking that if Luffy got no answers maybe he'd lose interest in asking at all, but that didn't work as Luffy started ignoring HIM and kept on firing the questions anyway. Then Marco reasoned that if he gave in a little and answered some questions maybe Luffy'd be satisfied with whatever answers he got and finally focus on the assignment. That had seemed to work until Marco had realized that seventy percent of the questions he'd been answering was not project-based.

As soon as Marco had managed to actually get Luffy on track(through a lot of yelling) and had gotten him to start putting down notes and ideas, he had darted out to get some well deserved space? and a glass of water for his abused throat. At least, that was his goal, until he had descended down the stairs to see Anne to his left in the living room and all his body's needs had been switched off, at least almost all of his body's needs. But he didn't want to even go there. She was sitting on the couch, mind totally focused on whatever show was on the tele. The screen was the only source of light. The dim bluish glow falling over her face making her look ethereal. She didnt seem to have noticed him and he found himself edging closer and closer until he was standing right next to the couch, standing right across from her. And then he was actually sitting in the sofa, right next to Anne. There were butterflies in his stomach being this close to her, even though there was an extra seat in between them.

She turned to him, as if to find out who had just sat next to her. He tried to shoot her his most friendly smile but she didn't seem to notice. Upon seeing him, she had seemed to be considering something, her eyebrows knitting in a way that looked cute on her. Marco found himself wondering what she'd look like angry. That must be quite a sight, and also, did he just use the word "cute"? His musings were disrupted when he heard her chuckling and found that she had turned back to the television.

Her good mood seemed to affect him because he found himself smiling and asking, "What's funny?" She slowly turned to him and her smile slowly dissappeared. She looked backwards towards the stairs.

"Where's Luffy?" Did she just ignore him?

"He's upstairs. On an idea-finding adventure. His words, not mine. Hey, and also, thanks for the, uh, sandwiches " He chuckled slightly.

"Oh", she answered uninterestedly and turned back to her show.

Now, Marco usually loved silence, found solace in it. He was a quiet guy-kept to himself and spoke only when necessary-and as such tended to prefer being around silent people. Birds of the same feather and all that...he should be loving this. He should be glad that Luffy's sister seemed to be the total opposite of Luffy. Should be reverying in the blissful silence that only seemed to be interrupted, not unwantedly, by hushed sounds of the show...but he didn't.

He didn't want to be quiet around Anne, he wanted to talk and for her to talk back. They might have just met, but he found he wanted a lot more than just being able to look at Anne, he wanted to know Anne. And since she was such a difficult person to read-and usually he prided himself on his ability to read people upfront, most people anyway. But with a blank page like Anne, what better way could he get to know her than making her talk? He decided to test the waters.

"Good show?", he asked expectantly. He hadn't actually watched a second of it yet, he was eyes were already occupied. He sat up a little as she turned her head to him with annoyed look.

She scoffed,"If you weren't so busy oogling me, you wouldn't have to ask that", she replied dismissively.

Marco felt his face heat up as he tried to sputter a denial but at her look of warning decided to settle for a weak shake of his head. She humphed and muttered loud enough for him to hear,"At least you have the decency to look embarassed" before turning back to her show.

She'd noticed! Marco screamed in his head and continued with 'Ohmygod she'd noticed and she definitely thinks I'm a creep now way to go Marco there goes your chance I bet she's not going to indulge me at all now,not that she used to but at least I could hope but that's gone now...Shit!' Marco had never been so embarrassed, and that was saying something. He wasn't so easily, it took quite an effort to make him that state, but Anne had done it so easily and effortlessly if he wasn't so busy trying to stare at the ground into opening up and swallowing him up whole, he'd be impressed.

But Marco wasn't the type to go down for a long time. He picked up his head from it's pathetic position and puffed out his chest a little as he countered with a truthful, "How couldn't I?" Would it be alright if he gloated at how surprised she looked then? With a raise of one delicate eyebrow she turned to him so slowly he thought she was going hit him but then did the exact opposite. She smiled. And it took a moment for his mind to catch up.

"Yea?" She asked pleasantly.

So, it seems she responded to sweet words. He quelled the tiny disappointment he felt that this wasn't more of a challenge. But then she was looking at him, and seemed to be listening to him so it was more of a win than a loss. And he wasn't going to let this seemingly rare opportunity escape him. And so, from the recesses of his mind, he began to do a little cataloging. Remembering all the methods he had seen and thereby learned from his friends...well, actually Thatch. 'Smooth moves' Thatch had called them. Marco had told him they were idiotic idiosyncrasies, and that he should stop torturing him and the poor girls...he didn't listen of course and currently, Marco was for once glad for his best friend's stubbornness 'coz he'd a few good ones from Thatch. Sometimes, being a wingman paid off a little-though he'd never tell Thatch that. He was going to pull out the big guns now. The big net for the big fish...oh, he'd better not say that.

"Yea", he shrugged."When I first saw you, this afternoon, I thought that maybe, you were related to the sun" Oh God, please let this work.

"Huh...why?"

"Because you brightened up my day" He met her eyes and smiled self-conciously, even that sounded cheesy to him! But that one was the only one he could remember, for now. And actually, he thought, it seemed to be working as she smiled bashfully. She slowly scooted closer to him across the couch, going on all fours before placing one hand right next to his thigh making the couch dip in and raising the other to cup the left side of his face.

"Aww, that's so sweet", she breathed, smiling demurely. Her breath ghosted on his lips. "What else you got?" Her hand slowly skimmed the side of his face and reached the back of his head, fingers digging into his soft blond hair. His heart was beating so hard so fast he thought it would fly out of his chest. She was so close, too close. Her dark hair falling forward and tickling his cheeks. He didn't know what to say, what to do. He wasn't expecting this much of a reaction and he was stumped. His mind was going into overdrive and he needed to calm down, act rationally. He took a deep breath...and made everything worse as he breathed her in. Goodness, she smelled like vanilla and chocolate. She must've eaten some ice cream earlier or used some really incredible body cream...and why was he even thinking about that? He needed to act fast. He needed to downplay it, to gain control of himself. He gently grabbed her small wrist, the one that belonged to hand whose finger pads were currently gently caressing his scalp. He was going to try a ris,y move He smirked and said confidently, suggestively,"Hm, how about you climb onto my lap and we can talk about the first thing that pops up?"

He had barely finished speaking when the hand at the back of his head had tightly grabbed his hair and Anne had headbutted him so hard his head had actually been thrown back a couple of inches. He let go of her hand and grabbed at his forehead as all but one of his thoughts escaped his mind.

WHAT THE HELL?!

Luffy had gotten sooo bored after about thirty minutes of his 'idea-finding adventure' and had started to get hungry so he decided to go downstairs to see about dinner, or actually, what Anne had made for dinner. What he hadn't expected to see , at arriving at the bottom of the stairs(darting his eyes around for his big sister and locating her in the living room) was Anne knocking the brains out of...Marco-sempai? He stopped, wordlessly shocked. After taking about two steps forward towards the living room, Anne got up, unfazed by the headbutting, and stalked angrily towards the stairs pausing just beside Luffy to tell him seriously, "You should really pick the people you bring to this house more carefully, Lu. Goodness knows I have enough freaks and perverts in my life", Luffy turned to her wordlessly and raised an eyebrow quizzically in concern. Anne looked mad. What the hell had happened in just thirty minutes? Anne looked at him and gave him a small smile. Then she leaned up to kiss the side of his head and told him, "Dinner's in the fridge. Make sure to heat it up this time. You can eat without me, I'm not really hungry, I had some ice cream earlier. Goodnight" before heading straight up the stairs and into by her room.

Luffy walked quickly to the couched and glared down at Marco, who was still rubbing his forehead.

"Dude, what did you do to my sister?", he asked angrily. If Marco had stepped Anne wrong, he promised he was gonna punch him so hard Anne's headbutt was gonna feel like a baby's chubby slap. Nobody messed with Anne, not while he was around.

"Huh?" Was all he got as Marco looked up at Luffy with squinted eyes through a portion of his now messed-up blond hair falling in front of his face.

Luffy started rolling up his sleeves and continued to glare down at him.

"My sister. You made her mad. How?" He added quietly, menacingly.

In the foggy remnants of his mind Marco was able to string up a few words and got up, saying,"I think we're done for today"

"You think?!", Luffy asked unbelievably as he dropped his hands and glare up at his senior. Marco winced at his yell.

"I'm going to leave now"

"I think you should."

Marco added reluctantly, and tried not to rile up more an already pissed-off younger brother as he said,"Please tell your sister I'm really sorry, and it was a stupid thing I said and I just...I'm really sorry". He finished lamely. Luffy only replied with silence and a raised brow.

Luffy escorted Marco to the front door and Marco looked backwards towards the stairs. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it as Luffy opened the door and gestured for Marco to get out. He then added, quite unnecessarily as Marco stepped over the threshold,"You know, I was going to share my dinner with you. It probably even had meat, but not anymore" before dignifyingly slamming the door in Marco face. The loud noise making his already promised headache a definite outcome.

Marco turned to cross the porch and walked down the short flight of stairs only to stop at the gravel driveway. He raised his head and stared, distractedly, at the flag flapping quietly in the night wind. When had it gotten so late? Nevermind, he had a lot to think about. Actually, he had only one thing to think about. One gorgeous, sneaky, tricky, seriously sexy thing(person) to think about.

Anne...WOW! She was crazy! Wonderfully crazy. Other girls would have settled for a well-sounding slap,and he knew this because he'd been around more than once at Thatch's failed attempts at 'smooth-moving' those of the female gender.

And yet the first time HE'D tried it, he'd gotten more than that for his trouble. But seriously though, that headbutt was no joke, granted it was well deserved. Now that he thought about it, it WAS a really rude-and downright disrespectful- attempt at flirting. He'd suspected it at first but she'd let him go on, letting him let his guard down, figuratively threading blindfolded through crocodile infected waters. He'd caress his forehead to try and deflate the swelling he could already _feel_ growing but it still stung like mad. He chuckled to himself before laughing out loud.

Soon he was doubling over with laughter, clutching his sides as he let his mirth roll all over him. After he'd calm down from his laughing fit and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, he dug out his cellphone and called the first person who came to mind. The phone rang for a while before the there was a click and a very familiar voice, with a very stuffed mouth, said on the other side of the line, "Yo man, what's up?"

"Thatch?" He snickered, "I think I'm in love yoi"

A/N: That risky line Marco used had double meaning...did you guys get it? All I'm going to say is, I really wanted a headbutting to happen since chapter one...also if you're wondering why I named the chapter like that, it because of Marco's last words in this chapter. Thanks for reading and as usual, don't forget to review! ^_^. There'll be more to come...

D.W: 16/04/2015


	5. Chapter 5

Hiya! The increase in followers left me humming all day. Sorry it took me a while to update this guys. Here you go.

This chapter is dedicated to Ecarlates, who is such a sweetie. Always reviewing and whatnot...Merci Beaucoup.

Disclaimer: One piece does not belong to me.

Chapter 5: Plans..

Okay, so maybe he wasn't in love.

But, apparently, he was in the very early stages of it. He knows this now by courtesy of his best friend/brother Thatch, self proclaimed 'love guru'. Yes, that's what he called himself...he had calling cards for it and everything.

Marco had taken a cab back home to find Thatch standing at the front door of their shared apartment, waiting anxiously to hear the rest of whatever Marco had started to say on the phone before he had dropped the phone in his dinner, a bowl of soup, due to shock. The look on his face had made Marco wished he hadn't called him- he told himself he did it due to overexcitement. Thatch's face had been a mixture of curiosity and inquisitiveness and Marco had immediately grimaced. He hated nosy people.

But then as Marco had tried to rush past him into the apartment, Thatch had seen the rosy bump on his best friend's forehead and his expression had turned into one of concern. He'd asked how he got it and Marco had shrugged it off, reluctant to disclose it's source. But at the sincere look of concern on Thatch's face, and the knowledge that he'd keep bugging him until Marco confessed, he'd given in.

So he'd told Thatch what had happened. The whole chiz...and he sorta wish he hadn't, because Thatch had laughed.

A lot.

Marco, though uncomfortable, had decided to wait it out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry", Thatch managed to say, his voice sounding muffled since he had tightly covered his mouth to try and stop laughing. To calm himself down, he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and then started to hum monotonously for a moment. He opened his eyes but as he did, his gaze landed directly on Marco's bump and then he exploded into laughter again, falling backwards into the couch this time.

For Marco, regret had started to settle in...maybe this had been a bad idea. Embarrassed, he got up to go to his room, but then Thatch, still laughing, grabbed his arm before he could leave and sat him back on the sofa he'd been pushed in earlier.

In between bouts of snickering he'd managed to say,"Okay, I'm good, I'm good...I swear", he'd added at Marco's doubtful look. Then said, a little more seriously,"Oh my goodness! Why would you even say that?!"

"I dont know, I was confused, yoi!"

"And she just...?"

"...yea" He replied solemnly.

"Well, you totally deserved it", he chuckled. "You don't imply to a girl you just met that you want to be rolling in the hay with 'em. It's such a shame"

"Yea, you think I've ruined it?"

"No, I mean it's a shame I wasnt there, I missed the whole show" And added quickly as Marco shot him a glare, "And also I would've helped you out, bro. Damn part time job...Dont worry", he said as he patted Marco's shoulder "It's not too late. Dont give up, man"

Marco knocked his hand aside,"Who said I was?"

"Well, after what you told me happened, I wouldn't be surprised if you did. I mean it sounds like she must think you're pretty despicable. Just like any other guy, only thinking with what's in your pants. Heck if I were her, I'd never want to see your face again" Thatch said brutally. He saw the slightly panicked look on Marco's face and added,

"Hey relax Marc, don't be too upset over this. Sounds to me like it's just a crush, not love. That's too presumptious", Thatch said all professional-like, like a doctor laying out a patient's diagnosis.

Marco was a little doubtful. What he felt for Anne didn't FEEL like "just a crush". It was very strong, strangely forceful...and unexplainable. But it was also very new, and right now it was making him all sorts of confused. He was, he'd admit, a novice when it came to these matters. Some, like Thatch, were obviously gifted with it whiles others were simply not, himself included. It didn't mean he was giving up though, oh no. Now where'd be the sense in that? He wasn't a quitter, wasn't raised to be one and frankly, it'd cramp his style.

But he wasn't an idiot either. He knew he was an amateur. And he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Going in unprepared had been foolish...and painful. He'd been thinking on his way home. If he wanted to succeed in getting Anne, and he did, he needed a game plan. He needed help from someone he could trust, someone close, someone who could keep a secret and frankly, someone who'd done something like this before. So, before he made things worse with Anne, before he dug in more of the hole that already reached his chin, he'd quell his embarrasment and ask for help. And who better to ask for help than his own brother. It's not like he had many choices, and maybe he was, kinda, helplessly...desperate. So he did what he thought was best and asked for a little help.

Thatch had been too pleased for anyone's good."Finally! I get to be wingman", Thatch proclaimed and pumped his fist in the air. Marco had just rolled his eyes and gotten up to get something to eat from the fridge in the kitchen. Thatch followed him and leaned his hip against the closest counter and scrutinizingly looked at Marco before saying,"To get help from the 'Love Guru', L.G needs to know one crucial thing. Is she at least hot?" His best friend had suddenly dropped the tupperware bowl full of cold lasagne onto his left foot and had clutched it in pain. Thatch knew his red face had nothing to do with the pain. He'd gotten his answer.

'Oh, this is going to be so much fun' he'd thought as he turned around and headed back towards the living room.

0-0-0-0

Thatch had first of all suggested Marco try to gain the trust of the immediate people around Anne.

"_You said she had a brother, right? Make him the first target on your trust list"_

_"How'll that help?"_

_"The brother likes you, the chance of her doing so is elevated" He'd replied. It made sense._

So he'd decided he was going to have a little tête-a-tête with his junior the next day. And that was why he was currently scanning the lunchroom for a mop of dark hair among the various types of heads currently filling the large space. He spotted him, among a bunch weirdly coloured-haired kids by the far wall. Abandoning his lunch tray, he walked over.

Luffy and his friends had been laughing at something funny Zoro had unknowingly said when he spotted Marco heading over. His mood had switched immediately, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by his friends. They all turned to see the reason why as Luffy got up to speak to a certain blonde guy, probably a senior. He looked like a senior...

"If you're coming over to tell me you want someone else to be assigned to help me with my project, don't bother. I completely agree. I had even already decided to see Mihawk-sensei after school", Luffy started without preamble. He crossed his arms and finished with "It's for the best", he leaned and whispered,"pervert". He raised his eyebrows knowingly at Marco. Looked like Anne had decided to share. Nevermind, it wasn't why he was here anyway.

Marco countered with an unconcerned look and said,"Oh wow, I was actually just coming over to tell you about this great idea I had last night for your project. The project theme is 'The Sea And Romance', right? I have the perfect idea, something I thought you'd absolutely love" With raised eyebrows Luffy dropped his arms. "Too bad though, it seems I'm really not needed here" He patted Luffy's arm and said seriously, "But hey listen, good luck with your new partner, whoever they'll be" and had turned to leave, before Luffy had promptly grabbed his arm before he could fully turn around and leave.

"Hm?" Marco asked innocently. Luffy seemed to be considering something for a moment before asking, tentatively,"Exactly what idea did you have in mind?"

Marco tried not to make it obvious as he smirked victoriously.

0-0-0-0

"I love it!"

"I thought you would"

"It's perfect. Why didn't I think of it before?!"

"I don't know yoi. Just let go of my shoulders"

"Sorry...I'm really glad I decided to meet you after school to hear you out. Guess it was worth it"

"Do I look like the kind of guy who'd ask you to talk just to waste your time?"

"No, you look like the kind of guy to make moves on people's sisters when they're not around. Shishishi...and looks like the blushing kind too."

"Whatever. Just remember-"

"Yeah yeah...you and the idea are a package deal. In turn, YOU just remember Marco, none of that ridiculous crap you pulled before, alright?"

"Sureee...Umm,did you tell your sister? That I was sorry?"

"Huh? Uh...yea...after we laughed our asses off at you. Seriously, dude, you're by far the worst she's ever told me of"

"Hmph...did she at least give a positive reply?"

"Well, she shrugged it off. Not like it's the first time it's happened. I'm currently the only one whose around to prevent scenes of that sort from happening as much as possible. It annoys her, ergo it annoys me. Some idiot's always trying to get with her. You included."

"..."

"If you're worried, don't be. Fortunately for you, like me, my sister doesn't hold a grudge for too long. Listen, I gotta bounce, see you on Monday?"

"Yea, sure. Careful on your way home yoi?"

"...Don't tell me what to do..."

0-0-0-0

"So?" Thatch asked as Marco entered kitchen. He had headed home earlier than his brother since Marco had told him he needed to talk with Luffy and had suggested Thatch head home first. It was one of the few days he had off at . He was currently smothering wheat bread with strawberry jelly to make a sandwich, his focus like a surgeon during surgery.

"Well, Operation 'Get Luffy To Like Me' is well underway" He told him, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and gulping some down. It was really hot out today.

"That's good to hear. He still seem mad?" He licked some jam off the tip of his index finger.

"At first, but then I told him about the idea and he seemed to even forget about wanting to punch me earlier this week", Marco shrugged.

"Wow, that was pretty fast, but then, I guess that's what we were hoping for. Should be glad..." He bit into his now finished simple sandwich. "Mmm.." He looked at Marco questionably,"Do you want one?" Marco made a face and shook his head. Wheat wasn't his most favourite thing to eat, although Thatch kept convincing him it was way healthier than normal bread. He just couldn't develop a taste for it. He guessed it was a case of one man's food being another's poison. Thatch just shrugged before continuing with his meal of wheat and jam. Marco couldn't watch him for long.

"I think I'm going change and head out yoi" Marco said as he pushed off the counter and headed to his room.

"To?" Thatch called after him.

"The café" He called back."Wanna come with?"

"On my day off? No way. I've got video games with my name on 'em" He took another bite. "You go solo, maybe next time"

"Okay then" Marco said as he shrugged into his shirt."Later then."

0-0-0-0

The bell on the top of the door dinged pleasantly as Marco walked into 'Café Le Blanche'. The familiar smell of coffee, baked goods and sugar assaulted his nose as he took an appreciative whiff and moved further into the establishment before taking a seat by one of the large glass windows that faced the street. It gave him an open view of people and cars as they went by. It was also his most favourite seat in the whole place.

Café Le Blanche was a quaint set-up of cream and light-brown coloured walls that was located right between the city and the suburbs, making it never too busy or too empty. It always had the perfect amount of customers-to Marco at least-so he made it his aim to visit there at least once every week. He enjoyed the feeling of going out without the constant buzzing of people in his ears. It always made thinking difficult for him, and he liked thinking. Not that he disliked people, he just enjoyed his solitude more-unless he was with really close friends of family. And so it was no surprise that he liked the queitness of this café. Plus their coffee and pastry was amazing.

His musings were stopped short as a waitress finally approached his table of one and asked as was customary,"What can I get you sir?" in a voice he'd recognize anywhere in a heartbeat. He looked up in time to meet Anne's startling grey eyes and to see her polite look turn to surprised recognition and then to suspicion.

All he could do was stare back dumbfoundedly as she gave a weary sigh and said," You've got to be kidding me."

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A/N: It was kinda tough writing this chapter, for reasons I don't even know. Isn't that crazy. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them. Please remember to review.

DW: 25/04/2015


	6. Chapter 6

**Hellu! Chapter 6 delivery for..well, anyone who has taken their time to read this. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as the ones in chapters 1 through 5. I only own Haru and Roma...oh, and Vannessa.**

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Chapter 6: Total Coincidence...

Anne placed a hand on her thrusted-out hip as she stared down at the kid currently looking like he got caught sticking his hand in a forbidden cookie jar. Eyes and mouth wide in shock.

He was pretending to look surprised, she just knew it. The odacity! Well, she wasn't going to let him.

"Well? I asked you a question, kid. What are you doing here?" She repeated the question she asked him just a while ago when she walked over to take a customer's order only to find the blonde-haired azure-eyed boy in the most favourable seat in the whole cafè. Which also happened to be one of the tables she had been assigned to.

"Eh? Uh...I-I...uh" Marco sputtered incoherently, before shaking his head and saying, quite stupidly,"Huh?". He hadn't gotten over the shock of seeing Anne here yet. He'd never seen Anne in this cafè before! What was she doing here...and in that get-up? Or was he seeing things...He lowered his eyes.

Wait, Marco knew that uniform! Short sleeved cream coloured top, tucked into neat-trimmed pleated short black skirt, the whole ensemble completed with a dark silk tie, that she had loosened for more comfort. The bottom tip of the tie was held back by a pretty black waist apron peppered with red polka dots. A bandanna of the same designed covered her head. Anne was dressed just like the cafè's waitresses, the uniform highlighting her curvy figure. Pretty black calf-length combat boots adorning her feet. The name tag confirmed his suspicions. Anne worked here? Since when? He wanted to know, so he asked.

But that seemed to infuriate Anne more as she, none too gently, slapped a small hand on the table in front of Marco, drawing a few glances from the immediate customers around them. She quickly smiled apologetically at the other customers and they turned back to whatever they were doing. Confused at her reaction, Marco only just blinked back at her. Anne crouched down a little more towards him. The action made the collar of her top open more than it already was, revealing a lot more creamy skin underneath. Marco tried not to stare for too long.

"Don't play dumb with me Marlo! How did you know I worked here? Did you, like, follow me?" She grabbed the collar of his shirt the same time she drew a conclusion."Are you a stalker? What the hell do you want?"

She was angry, Marco knew that. But currently all he could think of was...Freckles! Anne had freckles...he might not have seen them because of the darkness of the house that evening, but now the sunlight shining through the glass showcased them perfectly. And they were beautiful.

Finally over his shock, Marco countered with an insulted look and told her plainly,"The name's Marco." He smoothed out his features, playing it cool. "I didn't follow you here. I'm not a stalker." He gently grabbed her hand that was still had a hold of his collar and tapped it gently, his words and actions earning him a face full of suspicion complete with a raised brow. "And currently, what I really want, what I reeeeaally really want", he breathed out. "Is...a latte, super creamy and super hot, and a blueberry muffin" He smiled at her and added a sugar-coated(but still manly), "Please".

Anne slowly pulled her hand from his and straightened. She studied him for a whole minute. He seemed to be telling the truth, she'd know because she had a special self-appointed power of smelling a lie from a mile away. But she still couldn't be a hundred percent sure, and you can never be too careful these days. Too many metaphorical green snakes under metaphorical green grasses.

Truthfully, she couldn't stand another stalker. They wore her out. Always looking over her shoulder, making sure to stay in groups, being super careful about the people she talked to, people she let into her life, all the while trying to get her school life in order; it was so tiresome. She's had enough to last her a lifetime. For goodness sake she couldn't handle one more! And especially not after the last one...

She had to warn this one off, nip this in the bud. Threathen him somehow so he'd be too scared to stalk her, that was, assuming he was going to. Still, she wouldn't take any chances. Opening her mouth to say something, her words got cut off by the cafè's manager who had found their way to their table and was currently snapping her fingers in between them. They both turned to look at her.

Whitey Bay stood by the table, looking quite amused as she considered both of them for a moment. She then turned to Anne, arms crossed and smile in place, before saying, in her usual cool manner, "Looks like your other tables are filling, doll. You've spend enough time here, don't you think. The other customers might not like to wait for too long"

"Ah! Yes...ofcourse. Sorry, Whitey" Anne replied briskly before turning to go serve the other tables as requested, not sparing Marco a single glance. Both Marco and Whitey Bay watched her leave before the manager turned to Marco, who was still watching Anne go, and said," She's cute, ain't she...our new recruit?"

Marco whipped his head towards Whitey who still stood there, long blue hair in a ponytail and eyes crinkling at the corners. The telltale of what Marco could already foresee was a tease fest coming his way.

"Sure, Miss Bay." Marco replied politely and turned to look into the street on his left. But not before glancing over at Anne who was currently taking the order of what looked like an old married couple, her smile bright.

Whitey Bay leaned forward, until her elbows rested on the table and she was smiling at the side of Marco's face and his gradually reddening ear. She blew on it to cool it off and chuckled as Marco flicked his wrist at her and covered his ear with his hand glaring at her a little. She replied with a pout of her own, making her already full lips even fuller.

Marco finally remembered something. "Miss Bay?". Whitey sighed at the name. She had tried to get Marco to call her 'Whitey' like all her friends did, but Marco had been so adamant about not doing exactly that she'd eventually given up and let him call her whatever he liked. He was stubborn like that.

"Yes, sugar?"

"Does Anne know about me, and...you know...the cafè?

She looked confused for a moment before she finally understood, straightened and said,"Oh! You mean...?", She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head thoughtfully, her hair falling to the side. "No, I don't think I told her. But that can be easily fixed" She twisted around to look for Anne but Marco stopped her.

"Actually Miss Bay!" She looked back at him. "I think I'd prefer it if it stayed that way...please let the others know too" He turned to look at her somewhat pleadingly. She crouched back onto the table. This time Marco met her eyes.

"Any reason why Marco?" Her mood turning more serious as she studied his face. He shook his head no and smiled back at her. She studied him for a while longer before she regained her playful mood.

Finally she backed away, but not before whispering, for Marco's ears only, looking like she was about to disclose a big secret, " You know, if you want her number, all you gotta do is ask", which got her a sharply whispered,"Stop that!" as she shrugged innocently and walked away, chuckling to herself. Marco didn't even bother to ask who exactly he was supposed to ask for the number, Whitey or Anne herself.

He tried to smile at Anne as she walked by his table, a serving tray under her arm and a pencil stuck behind her ear, but all it got him was a quick glare. As his eyes occasionally followed her movements around the cafè, he could see how hard she worked. How graceful her movements were as she moved from one assigned table to another, smiling friendily and making light conversation with her customers. She looked so pretty, even though he found it hard to look away sometimes, he still forced himself to. She already thought he was a stalker, no need to raise her suspicions.

At one particular glance, he caught her looking at him thoughtfully. Though she looked away when she was caught and proceeded to take the pencil from her ear to scribble down something. It drew his attention to her ear.

Both of her ears...specifically, their size.

Marco studied them for a while and wondered why he didn't notice them before but then remembered her hair had been worn down when he'd last seen her hair, ears covered. There was no way he could have noticed them, and it seemed that was had been the plan. But now, all her hair tied up at the back, they were out for the world to see.

And see he could, for Anne's ears were huge! He chuckled to himself at his own joke.

Actually, they weren't so big...maybe just a little bigger than the size of his own. But they were noticable...very much so. Although, they suited her perfectly. Along with the freckles that dotted her cheeks, it gave her a very adorable mousy look. He found himself liking them already, although to be honest, he liked everything about Anne.

He just wished she could like him back...even just a little bit.

After a while, his order was brought and Marco tried not to be too perturbed by it as he sipped his unusually cold coffee. He sighed before breaking off a bit of his dry muffin and tossing the piece into his mouth. His Anne was really mean...

0-0-0-0-0

So far, Anne liked her new job. Her shift run from 4 to 8, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and all day Saturday, which was perfect since her classes were all morning and afternoon classes. And she could use her off days for doing her assignments. It wasn't boring and actually, the pay wasn't bad either.

She'd come in for the required interview the day before and had gotten a feel of the place. The cafè's manager, Whitey Bay was really nice-although she couldn't stand lazy people. Anne had truthfully assured her that she wasn't. The staff all liked Whitey, and now Anne did too. The staff was really friendly too. There were three waiters, four if Anne counted herself. Two males and two females. The males wore the same kind of uniform, cream coloured shirts and black trousers complete with black silk ties. The aprons and bandannas you could bring yourself.

Vanessa, a beautiful gypsy-like young lady with long black hair that flowed past her waist was the other waitress. She always wore big round bracelets, hoop earrings, and a beaded neclace. She opted for a long scarf to cover her head instead of the usual bandanna. Her uniform was also different- her top was tight fitted and her black skirt was long and flowing. Basically, same colour, different style. Give her an eye-patch and she'd look more like a pirate than a waitress. Anne had thought she was a real gypsy at first, but then Vanessa had laughed and replied that she just liked dressing like this, twirling and posing for Anne to see. It suited her though, and no one seemed to mind.

There was also Haru, a very quiet and handsome gentleman with dark green eyes. His hair was very dark blue and cut short to frame his face, covered by a black bandanna. He was very polite and had offered to show Anne the ropes since she was new. Anne had politely declined-this wasn't her first waitressing job- and Haru had conceded. She had told him she was grateful though and he had smiled in return and had slightly dipped his head to her before walking away.

And then there was Roma. A dark skinned young man who talked a mile a minute. He was so hyper, his carefree attitude had sorta reminded her of Luffy, although he was her age. His light brown eyes always screamed like mischief. He had a huge afro, that was super soft. She'd been a little shocked when he had grabbed her hand for her to feel but had been wonderfully surprised when her palm and fingers sank in his hair. His hair WAS really ridiculosly soft. He'd laughed at her reaction and she'd smiled in return. But he didn't wear a bandanna and he'd explained to her that it made his hair look flat when he finally took it off after work, so he wore a hair net instead. Made sense...Whitey didn't really mind what covered your hair, as long it was covered.

She thought she was going to get along with everyone here splendidly, and she had since she started working here on Monday. She'd never met nicer people and they were all glad she was on-board, so to speak. The customers weren't so bad either. Like everyone else, she'd been assigned five tables out of the twenty and that suited her fine. She liked her tables. They were usually filled with old people and workaholics...except today.

Anne looked back at one of her tables. The one the kid was currently sitting at. His coffee had been pushed aside after the first sip and his muffin was only halfway eaten through. At one point he had pulled out his phone and had used it for a while, but now he was back to staring out into the street, chin in hand. She'd asked Whitey if she'd seen him before and she'd told her he was a faithful regular, he just hadn't come in all week except today. He was so quiet he almost looked kinda lonely, but Anne refused to feel sorry for him. Her memory of what he'd said to her last time he'd been in her home refused to let her. In fact, just remembering it was getting her more upset.

She walked over.

"Shouldn't you be going home now, kid?" Anne asked as soon as she reached the table. Marco turned at the voice and sat up straighter when he realized it was Anne. He gave her a blank stare.

"Why?"

" 'Coz it's going to be closing time soon and we like to see all our customers leave before we do" She crossed her arms under her breasts, hiking them up a little. "You're holding up shop, buddy." She glared down at him.

Marco looked around. "But there are other people here too. Look." Anne didn't even bother to.

"THEY haven't been sitting here since four thirty doing nothing."

"I haven't been doing nothing. I've been studying." He replied calmly.

She scoffed. There wasn't even a book in front of him! Or a laptop or anything... There hadn't been since he walked in three hours ago. "Studying what?"

He tilted his head to the side and smiled a little, as if he'd been expecting the question. "People." Was all he said. He thrusted his thumb out towards the glass window. Anne looked doubtly at him before slowly moving her eyes towards the glass window.

It was dark out, the last of the sun rays having faded out more than an hour ago. The streetlights showering the street with light. Underneath, people walked by. Some briskly, probably wanting to reach home to their families after a long day of work, and others taking leisurely strolls. Cars whizzed by on the street, sounding an occasional horn here and there. Anne watched as a group of teenage girls walked by, talking and giggling as they passed, a group of boys right behind them. A child with lollipop in hand walked by, his other hand clutching his mother's. He looked through the window at Anne. He playfully stuck out her tongue at her when she wouldn't look away and she wasted no time reciprocating, he giggled cutely and turned his attention to his lollipop, shoving it in his mouth.

Anne's smile disappeared as she turned to find Marco smiling at her. "They're so interesing," he said. "Like pieces of art, each different yet so unique. More so are you"

"Aha! So you are a st-" she began.

"I'm not a stalker, I told you that already" He replied, amused. Then he said, very seriously, "I'm just a regular art-lover".

Anne stood there for a while gaping down at him. The kid thought he could say what he liked, whenever he liked. Anne tried to give him a response, racked her brain for one but all she could do was try not to get too flustered as she huffed and said,"Fine! Sit here however long you like. I don't care" before storming off. Her cheeks slightly more red than usual. His chuckling behind her didn't really help.

0-0-0-0-0

As usual, the cafè closed promptly at 8pm. In the changing room, Anne had switched out her uniform for the clothes she had worn to classes today; a big dark blue hoodie with a pink t-shirt underneath. She had on black shorts too. Anne could be seen forcefully shoving her things into her backpack. Her mood wrecked by a certain someone. She couldn't believe she'd been so flustered before. Well, it wasn't going to happen again. She wasn't going to let it. She's going to have to be real careful with that Marco kid. Her thoughts had turned more frustrating and she hadn't noticed what she was trying to do was futile-her stuff was already in the bag, all she had left to do was zip it close- until a voice startled her.

"Something on your mind, Anne?" The voice asked.

She turned around to find a concerned Vanessa standing by her own locker. Taking of her head scarf and shaking out her hair with her hand, she approached Anne. "You seemed tense today. Everything alright?"

Anne stared at her dumbly for a moment before answering."Yea. Everything's fine...at least it will be", she muttered the last part to herself. She strapped on her bagpack and said goodbye to her to colleague, walking out into the main hall. It was now completely devoid of customers, just Haru and Roma cleaning up their tables and turning off the lights. She waved at them; Roma waved back whiles Haru merely nodded. Whitey must still be in her office, she thought. Though she wanted to, she didn't go over there to say goodbye. She had to head home to Luffy.

She reached the entrace and as she reached out to open the door, a hand beat her to it- almost bumping it with hers. It was Marco. Anne took a step back in shock and asked, her voice an octave higher than usual,"You're still here?!"

Marco, for his part, looked like that was obvious,"Of course. I almost always leave at closing time. I wasn't going to leave just cause you asked me to." He then smiled.

"Besides, there is one last thing I have to do today". He opened the door and indicated he was expecting Anne to walk through. Anne just looked back at him, her eyebrows reaching up to her hairline in question.

Marco looked like it was assigned duty as he said, seriously, "I have to walk you home."

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**A/N: Whitey Bay is an ally of the Whitebeard Pirates. She helped them in their attempt to rescue Ace. Look her up on One Piece wiki...she's really pretty.**

**When I was writing this chapter, I started on my bed, I was lying, sitting, halfway down to the floor, actually on the floor. At one point I found myself at the dining table thinking, 'how the heck did I get here?'. And right now, as I'm writing this, I've circled back to my bed...weird. **

**I shirked my chores for this. Aka, gimme some reviews...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much for the reviews you guys!...and the follows and favourites too! Here's Chapter 7. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: **...**

Anne looked up incredulously at Marco for a couple of minutes. Then she took another step back...and looked at him some more before crossing her arms.

"You know, you're not helping your case here, kid. I accuse you of being a stalker, you say you're not, and yet you want to follow me ho-"

"WALK you home, yoi" Marco quickly interjected.

She ignored him. "Follow me home?" She scoffed. "I'm more doubtful now. Your actions practically scream 'stalker'. And I'll be damned if I have go through this aga-". Anne suddenly stopped short. She realized she had almost admitted something she didn't want to. Her past with stalkers was just that. Past. She didn't see the need to uproot it, especially not to a stranger.

Marco raised a brow. "The stalking...you make it sound like it happens often"

Anne looked a little taken aback."...so what if it does? What's it to you?" She asked brusquely, chin slightly raised.

"Well, I can't help but be concerned. You're not exactly a total stranger to me Anne...I care what happens to you, especially when you make it seem like you're unsafe. Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I let a girl walk home alone even after she's made it obvious she could be in danger...even if she thought the danger was me..."

Anne looked doubtful- he might just be saying that to let her drop her guard. Her arms dropped. "I don't need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself."

"And I don't doubt that Anne...but...still, I feel like it would be...better...if I at least saw you home yoi".

He kinda had a point, and she knew it. But she was a big girl, she could take care of herself...her grandpa had made sure of that. And it wasn't that she wasn't grateful, she kinda was. But still, she couldn't shake off the feeling there was another reason why he was doing this. Because if she knew boys-and she did-, with them there was always a hidden agenda. It couldn't be that he wanted to find out where she lived, he already knew that. So there could only really be one thing he could want, and if she remembered clearly-and she did-, he had made it so obvious the first time they met...

Anne wasn't going to tolerate this kid's urges...wants...wishes?...whatever, any longer. She pointed a dainty finger warningly at Marco and prepared to rant her tongue off. She had barely gotten the first words out of her mouth before she was cut off.

"Anne, I think it would be a good idea if Marco did walk you walk you home."

They both turned towards the voice to find Whitey slowly approaching them. Anne wondered if she had overheard them.

Whitey finally reached them and put a hand on Anne's shoulder. "You've never mentioned you had a problem like this Anne. It's quite serious-even though you seem to treat it like it's not. And you've been going home alone since Monday? Not okay...I think, and I'm thinking of your safety here", her voice calm, she glanced at Marco before turning back to Anne,"You need an escort home. And since Marco is so kindly offering it, you should take it- you seem to know each other well enough." She tweeked Anne's cheek fondly."Better safe than sorry...cutie".

She walked between them and out the door; said to Marco as she went by, not once halting in her steps,"Make sure she gets home safely, _Mr. Gentleman_". Marco, somewhat amused, watched her leave and turn right on the sidewalk. He turned back to see Anne, her pretty face in a pretty frown. Marco looked uncomfortable under her scrutiny for a while before, to his relief, she sighed and walked out of the establishment. Marco silently trailed after her, they both going the opposite way Whitey had.

Out on the sidewalk, Marco stared after Anne's back. She had made sure to keep at least five feet between them, being cautious. Marco thought it was quite unnecessary, he wasn't a stalker dammit, and this was making him feel like one. But...if doing this made Anne more comfortable, then he wouldn't try to close the distance between them...again. Oh yes, he'd tried to do it before, but Anne had just stopped, shot him a glare, drawn the hood of her hoodie over her head and had pointedly stalked forward. Marco had gotten the point- just walkie, no talkie...got it- and had allowed the distance between them to retain it's original length.

But it wasn't all bad. He smirked. They'd walked several blocks now, and so far, he had a good view from his current position. Well, as good as it was going to get with a big hoodie and a pair of black boyish shorts she had on. At least it gave him an eyeful of her very nice calves. Toned, and covered with no doubt smooth skin, Marco wondered how it would feel to the touch, how it would feel to run his hands up the smooth skin up to the back of her knees and...HOOOONK!

Suddenly, all he could see was a bright light-a car's headlights- and a loud honking that hurt his ears. Abruptly all his thoughts centred to one entity- Anne. His hand reached out blindly and grabbed at her, finding purchase on soft material. He yanked his arm back, hard, just in time as a car to come whizzing by, narrowly missing the dark haired girl. Her back collided with his chest and the force knocked them both backwards. Marco grimaced as he landed painfully on his butt and winced as the black-haired girl subsequently fell backwards on top of him.

The blond boy slowly sat up, cursing out stupid careless drivers in his head and wondering why they were giving out lincenses to anyone these days...until a slight pained groan made him realize his current position. Anne was sitting in between his legs on the ground, facing forward. She drew some hair away from her face, and in understanding of what just almost happened slumped backwards into Marco's solid chest in relief, a little shaken up, her hands coming to rest on his bent knees. Marco finally realized where his arm was- wrapped firmly around Anne's midsection, resting right underneath her generous breasts- warmth seeping through her hoodie to his arm. Although he was shocked, he stayed completely still. Seconds ticked by and finally, Anne seemed to also realize where she was. She twisted around to look at her saviour. Her eyes only reached his chin though, so she slowly began to look up his face and until her gray eyes met with his deep azure ones.

His eyes were captivating. She couldn't see them properly since it was night and his head was bent down to look at her but the light from the passing cars showcased them somewhat clearly. They were like the colour of the sky on a clear day, so blue. She found she couldn't look away. But then something tightened around her and the short spell broke. She looked down and was alarmed to find Marco's arm around her. She made to get up but his arm halted her, pulling her back down against him. Anne looked back at Marco in surprise and barely managed to stop herself from elbowing him hard in the ribs. Marco, for his part, seemed to like their position a little too much to discern that he was preventing Anne from getting up, until she poked him in the chest with a finger, gaining his full attention. She looked pointedly at his arm and back up at him. Embarrased and face slightly flushing, Marco chuckled sheepishly and redrew it.

Anne quickly got up and began dusting off the seat of her shorts, looking on as Marco followed suit. She had no idea why that had just happened. One minute she was thinking about the kid and the possible reasons why he was so bent on seeing her home and the next she was being pulled against said kid's chest, BY said kid. This was the first time something like this had happened to her. She was usually so sharp and focused, but she had been less so tonight...since she'd seen him at her table. She didn't know why. But she _did_ know one thing, that if it wasn't for him, she'd probably be pavement pancake by now...and it humbled her.

"Thank you...Marco", she said quietly. Eyes trained on his sneakers.

Marco stopped dusting and looked up at the sound of his name. He slowly straightened and looked at her. She was trying to look anywhere but at him. Looking for all the world like she was being...shy?

"You're welcome", he smiled. She finally looked back at him, shyness gone, and gave a small nod, before turning back and walking forward, crossing the now empty asphalt street.

Marco was elated. She'd finally spoken to him...without trying to chop his head off- figuratively speaking, of course. Though he wouldn't put it past her to make that a reality. But still, she'd actually been _civil_ to him and Marco did not try to quell the sense of victory it to him.

Also, Marco tried not to fist-pump as another occured to him, she finally said his name.

0-0-0-0-0

After a few more blocks, they rounded the corner of her house, and at the prospect of being inside her home, Anne's steps automatically began to quicken. Even after what had happened, she had still kept a short distance between them. As they reached the driveway she turned around and suddenly asked, surprising Marco, "Be honest. Why did you want to walk me home so badly?"

He hesitated only for a moment ,"Because I feared an opportunity like that won't happen twice."

"Opportunity?" She asked, confused. "What oppor-"

"To be with you, yoi", he said truthfully.

'Be with me?', she blinked at him. This kid was...unbelievable. One moment he was implying sexual innuendos, and the next he was saying...things...that were confusing her, making her heart beat just a little bit faster in her chest. She didn't get it. What the heck did he want?

"Why?" She met his eyes. They were sure and truthful, and she had little doubt when he said it.

"I like you." He didn't hesitate.

Anne stared at the blonde blue-eyed high school student, surprise clear on her face. Like her? He barely knew her! And she was not so fickle to believe that he liked her for her personality. She had intentionally shown clear disdain of him since day one, literally! He couldn't be attracted to mean stares and being ignored- typical rudeness. She was kinda hoping her actions would put him off. But apparently not.

Although soon, the little doubt she had had began to grow in size. Anne wasn't going to give in just 'cause he said he liked her. Guys told her that all the time...and most of them didn't mean it. And thinking about it now, she didn't think Marco did. For crying out loud, he was just a kid. Probably not even out of puberty yet, even though he didn't look like it. And here he was trying to fry big fish. Anne would've thought it was adorable...if only she was in the mood.

"You're not serious", Anne told him, voice clipped. She remembered he had done her a great service just earlier and so tried not to be too rude as she said, "go home, kid"

Marco didn't try to stop her as she turned around and began to walk up the driveway. But his words did.

"I am."

She hesitated for a long while before turning back. To give him a piece of her mind? To accuse him of lying? To show him why messing around with her could get him hurt? She didn't know. And she didn't get to find out as when she turned around, he had already left.

0-0-0-0-0

Marco heart was beating hard inside his chest. He can't believe he just told Anne that he liked her...what had he been thinking. That had not been his intention at all. But Anne had looked at him and she'd looked so confused and beautiful and she'd asked him to be honest and he'd been just that. Honest.

He didn't regret it, not at all, but he was sort of scared that his abrupt confession was going to mess things up even more now. The girl obviously disliked him- she must've thought he was trying to make a fool of her. She'd looked so doubtful...

He suddenly felt the unrelenting sting of rejection.

Marco gave a small sigh and entered his apartment. Thatch was lying in the couch. His head poked above it as his brother came in and his face took on a small frown at the look bordering on a sad kicked-puppy on Marco's face.

"Hey man! How'd it go at the café?" He got up to join him. Marco had texted Thatch earlier out of boredom at the café, letting him know what was going on and he'd be a little late than usual. He looked at Thatch for a moment and said," I told Anne I like her"

Thatch looked at Marco, a bit surprised before saying, stepping closer, "What'd she say?"

"She told me that I wasn't serious." Marco deflated a little on the inside just remembering it.

"And knowing you, you've probably set out to prove her wrong?"

"Yup" Marco said, a small smile on his handsome face. Thatch shook his head fondly, sometimes he knew his best friend a little too well. He released an excited breath.

"Okay! So we'll have to start up a new plan. First of all-" Thatch whipped up a pen and paper from seemingly nowhere and stared as Marco grabbed them away.

"Actually, Thatch, I was wondering...could I go solo? From now on?" Marco asked slowly. He grimaced a little guiltily at the disappointed look that appeared on his brother's face.

"You're...firing me?...why?" A little whine.

Marco had been thinking. If he was going to win over Anne, wouldn't it make sense if he rather did it with his own power, by his own wits? He knew for certain that he worked better alone, that it was the better option, and it was definitely not because he didn't want his super flirty, also good-looking brother anywhere near Anne- not at all! That was being ridiculous.

He was going to win over Anne himself. He was still an amateur when it came to these matters, he knew. But he was going to risk it. That way, in the end, the fruits of his labour will be extremely sweet.

"But I thought I was finally gonna be wingman," Thatch said quietly, his voice broken.

"You're gonna be," Marco reassured him. "I'm still gonna ask you for advice and whatever...just...not as much"

Thatch nodded sadly. He understood. A man had to do what a man had to do. He ran a hand through his brown hair and after a while said,"I made spaghetti...want some?" Marco nodded, a grin on his face.

After his dinner, he spent some time kicking Thatch's butt and getting _his_ butt kicked playing video games. It was pretty late when he went to his room. Marco laid in bed, his thoughts mostly centering on one person. It seemed like she was going to keep him awake for a while tonight as well. It was like he had personally given her a key into his brain and she didn't hesitate going in and moving things around. It wasn't too troublesome, he supposed. Who wouldn't want a girl like that up there?

Besides, it wasn't a school day tomorrow. But still, it would be great if he could get some shut-eye. He was tired from school...and a little sore.

Finally sleep began to creep in. And his thoughts began to slow down and disappear and focus on the one actual thing he wouldn't mind being in his dreams. He thought of the first day he'd met her, how gorgeous she'd looked, how she'd later tricked him and given him something painful to remind him never to say such stupid things ag-

All of a sudden, Marco shot up in bed. His face took on slight horror as he remembered something he'd neglected to do, and for too long.

He couldn't believe it.

He'd forgotten to apologize to Anne!

He groaned and fell back to the bed, rubbing his hands down his face. He has to rectify that. Soon.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**There you go you guys! It's funny, this chapter totally didn't come out as how I'd planned it. (You start on earth and plan to end on earth but suddenly whooosh! you're on Jupiter having tea with her Majesty. It's strange like that.) **

**But I hope it wasn't too confusing. English is not my first language so sometimes I find it hard to put my thoughts into words...but I try. ^_^. Did you like it or totally hate it? Lemme know...**

**Confession: I had no idea what to name this chapter...**

**DW: 6/05/2015**


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